There seems to be an infinite amount of in-wall speakers out there but only a handful of them that truly match the reference quality sound of the best floorstanding or audiophile monitor speakers. Meridian's 300 Series In-walls are one such speaker that sounds every bit as good, if not better, than its floorstanding rivals, yet can be installed neatly and discretely into your walls saving valuable floor space and possible grief from your better half. The Meridian 300 Series speakers come in three sizes depending on your needs and can be ordered fully powered or passive like all Meridian products. The 300 Series in-walls have another feature in that they can be ordered with paintable metal grills like standard in-walls or without grills for installation behind fixed projection screens and/or custom fabric walls. Clearly, the 300 Series in-walls are designed to be utilized in more high-end home theater systems and their hefty price tag almost guarantees it. A five channel speaker system from Merdian's 300 Series is priced at a little less than $20,000 without a subwoofer.
All of the 300 Series in-walls feature a ribbon tweeter, a mid range driver and passive bass radiator. Depending on the size of your particular 300 Series speakers you'll get more drivers in various configurations but the essential formula of ribbon tweeter mated to a midrange driver with bass radiator drivers will remain the same allowing for good results when mixing and matching with other 300 Series speakers. If you order your 300 Series in their passive form the speakers themselves (regardless of size) are all bi-wireable and except bare wire only, however, unlike most in-wall speakers the 300's can accept a variety of speaker cables including larger gauge wire from the likes of Transparent or Cardas.
High Points
• The Meridian 300 Series in-walls actually do sound as good a audiophile floorstanding speakers. Some need to hear it to believe it but its true.
• The Meridian 300 Series' ribbon tweeter is an absolute revelation; possessing some of the best, most musically seductive high frequency response of any tweeter I've heard to date.
• The Meridian 300 Series in-walls sound musical, with a slightly warm midrange that mates well to its solid bass output from the passive radiators. These speakers may not need a subwoofer in smaller rooms.
Low Points
• Oddly, mounting brackets you will absolutely need are not included in the purchase price.
• The installation of these speakers is a bear and should be done by a professional no matter what. They must be mounted to the studs and will require significant drywall repair. The Meridian 300 Series are not just some cut a hole in a wall type speaker. They are serious in-walls that also need a serious installation.
• The look of these speakers isn't anywhere near the level you will get from the likes of Sonance's Architectural Series or even the best from Speakercraft. Meridian's 300 Series in-wall speakers are respectfully best installed behind a perforated screen or even better yet - behind a fabric wall.
• Less of a low point and more of a suggestion - the Meridian 300 Series sounds best when paired with the same type of speakers for a 5.1 or 7.1 system. I wouldn't recommend you mix and match.
Conclusion
Meridian has hit a home run with their 300 Series in-wall speakers. They are expensive as you would expect from one of lofty AV brands in the business but by no means are they unfairly priced. As far as in-walls are concerned the Meridian 300 Series are among the best there is and when you compare their performance and musicality to high ticket floorstanding speakers they beat the snot out of those too. If everything you have heard and know about speakers makes me sound crazy - go find a dealer that has a pair on demo and use your own ears. Trust me, you will be glad you did if you need some great sounding in-walls for your home.
